Civil society organizations had the obligation to stimulate volunteering

The debate “Hands on matters” held within the program of Civica Mobilitas national forum was dedicated to Civic Engagement and Volunteering. Aleksandra Ristivski, Nikica Kusenikova, Ivona Krstevska, Gabriela Andreevska, Daniela Stojanova, Goko Vukanovski and Login Kociski talked at the debate.

“Solidarity is the basic principle of volunteering”, Aleksandra Ristovski said in her discussion about what motivates people to volunteer. “Voluntees gain experience and skills which help them in life, and the volunteering also changes their daily routine”, which, according to Ristovski, helps them find a feeling of happiness.

Gabriela Andreevska also thinks that the volunteers are fulfilled and happy people. “The people in Macedonia must rely on mutual solidarity because they cannot rely on the system”, she said.  According to Andreevska, there is more volunteering work done than we perceive, but it is not done in an organized manner, and probably those that do it do not feel it as volunteering.

“The motivation can be risky”, Nikica Kusinikova said, “but what makes the volunteering is the voluntary basis, without compensation and for the benefit of others.” Daniela Stojanova referred to the differences between the declarative commitments for volunteering work and the volunteering work in practice, which for now, as she said, is for the sake of declarativeness.

Goko Volkanovski talked about that volunteering was part of the collective spirit of thinking. “Unfortunately, in the past years more emphasis was placed on I rather than us”, he said. “I am not surprised by the wide range of motives of the citizens, and some of them are selfish as well.  Over 50% of unemployment of youth is the reason why the existence of selfish reasons is understandable”, Volkanovski added. “I am 50 percent happy, and 50 percent disappointed about the volunteering, since today it is done only to fill in the CV or (someone) to be employed through political party line. I think that it is a totally wrong approach, instead of having your heart and mind fulfilled”, Login Kociski from Password production said. According to him, volunteering is a willingness to learn something new, without expectation that it would fill in someone’s portfolio.

According to Ivona Krstevska from the National Youth Council of Macedonia, the most important is the implementation of all volunteering management steps by the organizations of volunteering work, for example, volunteering program development and description of the volunteering position on the basis of their needs. “All this will contribute to sustainable development of volunteering and its greater promotion toward the primary goal, i.e. generally useful activity which benefits the community where we live, and above all the volunteers themselves”, Krstevska stressed.

The participants agreed that the young people were not sufficiently informed about the opportunities of volunteering and the benefits they could have from it. Volunteering should not be perceived as a substitute for work, but the volunteering can increase their competences, skills, and knowledge which they can use in job searching. They also agreed that the obligation of civil society organizations was to stimulate volunteering and to change the social context in Macedonia in that direction.

The debate was moderated by Petrit Saracini.